A curated selection of public diplomacy-relevant news from a global cross-section of English-language media outlets, including independent, corporate-owned, and state-sponsored sources. The stories featured don't necessarily represent CPD's views nor have they been verified by CPD.
NBA star and UN Ambassador Stresses Right to Schooling in Native Argentina
National Basketball Association (NBA) star Manu Ginóbili stressed the right of all children to complete their elementary and secondary studies during a recent visit to a school in the impoverished Argentine province of Chaco in his role as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund.
ICRC Calls for Greater Compliance with Geneva Conventions
The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling for greater compliance with the rules of war by states and armed groups around the world. As the ICRC marks the 60th anniversary of the four Geneva Conventions on August 12, the Swiss humanitarian agency warns that many of the laws signed in 1949 to protect civilians and other vulnerable people caught in war are not being respected. The Conventions set out rules governing the conduct of international wars. But since 1949, these wars have increasingly given way to civil conflicts and few of the rules in the Conventions apply to them.
Myanmar Sentence Draws Criticism
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined a chorus of predominantly Western voices condemning the sentencing of Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on Tuesday, demanding her release and saying that, without a change in its human rights practices, Myanmar’s scheduled elections next year would be illegitimate.
An Unconventional Missive Hits Jerusalem
It is sitting right in front of me. A three-page cable from Boston to Jerusalem sent by consul-general Nadav Tamir expressing concern for Israel's international image following recent clashes with the US administration. I have read secret diplomatic cables for 30 years and I can testify that this is the kind of report professional diplomacy was created for. Without seeing the current diplomatic correspondence (as I am no longer a government official), I can say that this is one of the most important cables sent by an Israeli diplomat this year - or maybe even this decade.
Americans Still See More Enemies Than Friends In Middle East
The United States still has a long way to go building friendships in the Middle East despite President Obama’s highly-publicized outreach to the Muslim world. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey asked adults nationwide to assess America’s relations with the key Middle Eastern countries in the news. Americans remain skeptical of most of those countries eight years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as one war in the region winds down and another one intensifies.
U.S. Not Adequately Challenging Radical Islam in Information War, Experts Say
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last November that “Public relations was invented in the United States, yet we are miserable at communicating to the rest of the world what we are about as a society and a culture, about the freedom and democracy, about our policies and goals.”
Exclusive: Obama’s ‘Soft Power’ Strategy Makes U.S. Look Weak
The Obama Administration should have instead insisted on resolving the issue through existing diplomatic channels, including special envoy Ambassador Stephen Bosworth.” Rather than seeing how the crisis unfolded as good news, Klingner concluded, “Clinton's visit has roiled the North Korean policy waters beyond their already tumultuous state.
Winds of Change Sweep India’s Foreign Office
The elite Indian Foreign Service (IFS) that powers India's global diplomacy and manages relations with nations is changing. Mid-career training and specialisation are the new mantra. Promotions were a matter of aging gracefully, but now even senior diplomats have to prove themselves to move up the career ladder.
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